Losses: Left OT Matt Kalil (first round, Minnesota) was named the Pac-12’s best offensive lineman in a vote taken by the conference’s defensive linemen, and the Vikings agreed with the assessment, taking the junior with the fourth overall pick in the draft. The Vikings then took massive fullback Rhett Ellison (6-5, 251), a first-team all-conference special-teams performer, in the fourth round. DE Nick Perry (first round, Green Bay) made 13.0 TFL and had 9.5 sacks last season in earning all-conference honors. DT DaJohn Harris had 7.0 TFL. RB Marc Tyler was second on the team with 595 yards rushing (4.7 ypc) and 4 TDs.

Preseason ranking: No. 3 in coaches’ poll

Star power: Senior QB Matt Barkley (6-2, 230) completed 69.1 percent of his passes for 3,528 yards and 39 TDs with only 7 interceptions in earning second-team all-conference honors behind Andrew Luck, the first player taken in April’s NFL draft. Barkley could get the No. 1 nod next year.

Players to watch: Junior WR Robert Woods (6-1, 190) caught a conference-record 111 passes for 1,292 yards (11.6 ypr) and 15 TDs last season and set a school record with 17 receptions in a game vs. Minnesota. Sophomore WR Marquise Lee (6-0, 195) caught 73 passes for 1,143 yards (15.7 ypr). Senior RB Curtis McNeal (5-7 190) rushed for 1,005 yards (6.9 ypc) and 6 TDs and will be joined by Penn State transfer Silas Redd (5-10, 209), who rushed for 1,241 yards (5.1 ypc) last season. Senior C Khaled Holmes (6-4 305) was second-team all-conference. Like Barkley senior S T.J. McDonald (6-3 205) would have been a first-round draft pick had he opted to come out a year early but decided to return for his senior year. He led the team with three interceptions and made 67 tackles. Junior CB Nickell Robey (5-8, 165) joined McDonald on the all-conference first team after leading the team with nine pass breakups. Sophomore LB Dion Bailey (6-0, 210) was the conference freshman defensive player of the year after tying for the team lead with 81 tackles and intercepting two passes. Senior DE Wed Horton (6-5, 255) made 4.0 sacks and was second-team all-conference. Sophomore PK Andre Heidari made 15 of 17 FG attempts and was first-team all-conference.

Outlook: The Trojans entered the 2011 season facing another year of NCAA probation and a roster minus nine NFL draft picks. All they did was go 10-2 and announced to the college football world that while down in numbers they were certainly not out of the picture. The record was forged with a team that had three freshman linebackers starting and a host of rookies at other key spots. Now, with the two-year postseason ban over, many are predicting USC will win the national title, a feeling reinforced when star quarterback Matt Barkley and star safety T.J. McDonald passed up sure first-round NCAA draft selections to return for their senior seasons. Barkley will start the season with four returning starting linemen in front of him, a 1000-yard rusher in Curtis McNeal and two superstar wideouts in Robert Woods and Marquise Lee. The defense is loaded at linebacker and in the secondary. The only question mark is up front, where three of four starters departed following last season. Depth could also be an issue, but the feeling here is USC’s starting 11 on each side of the ball is good enough to defeat anybody.